Wargames rules, it seems, are somewhat like buses: You seem to spend ages waiting for a set to come along, and then two or three arrive at the same time. Last year (2010) this was true of Napoleonic rules, this year it’s the turn of Ancients, with several new Ancients rulesets being published at approximately the same time.

One of these is Hail Caesar, the latest offering from Mr. Priestly and Warlord Games. As you may expect, following on from the successful publication of Black Powder, these rules follow roughly the same format, and can indeed be seen as the Ancients ‘version’ of these earlier rules – or you could alternatively view these rules as a progression from Rick Priestley’s earlier work on Warmaster Ancients – either viewpoint has it’s merits.

The Grizzled At Your Orders is a new expansion for The Grizzled, which is published by Cool Mini or Not. It plays 1-5 players and will be one of the toughest games you’ll ever play but you’ll want to play it again and again!

Your task in Aviary is to observe a number of birds with specific characteristics according to three assignment cards which determine points. But instead of honey seeds and binoculars you’ll be using good old fashioned trick-taking to prove that several birds in your hand are actually pretty useful at catching more of them in the bush.

Booty is an “I divide, you decide” set collection game for three to six players. Players are pirates dividing the spoils of their campaigns, and the player with the most valuable haul at the end of the game wins.

Each player takes the flag markers of one color. The islands are laid in the center of the table, and each player is dealt two Legacy tiles. Next, cards are dealt to the center of the table (one face-down, and three cards for each player in the game). Randomly assign player order.

In Allegiance, each player takes control of one of ten different heroes. Each hero has seven unique powers, a weapon and suit of armor (usually), and possibly some special abilities and cards.

During the game, players will be drawing cards from 3 shared decks (Basic Unit, Elite Unit, and Action) and using those to summon troops to battle. Each unit will has its own attack power, health, and possibly some special abilities. Players will be using a combination of hero powers, action cards, and units to attack their opponents. The goal in Allegiance is to reduce your opponent’s health to zero.

Golf is an old game we’ve played at home with a deck of face cards since we were kids. Maybe some of you have even played a “round” of it recently. We’ve taken this old classic and put it through the apocalyptic ringer.